In the first of today’s men’s county fixture announcements, Sussex have had their Specsavers County Championship and Royal London One-Day Cup schedule for 2019 confirmed.

In a ten-team Championship second-division in which each club has 14 matches, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Leicestershire and Glamorgan are the four counties that Sussex will play only once.

As announced last month, three teams will be promoted into Division One next year as part of the restructure of the Championship from 2020.

Gloucestershire are the visitors for both of Sussex’s outground fixtures in 2019. The West Country county are the opposition for the one-day match at The Saffrons on Sunday, May 5 before heading to Arundel for a Championship fixture in mid-June.

Arundel will also host the tour match between Sussex and Australia A between Sunday, 7 and Wednesday, July 10.

After pre-season friendlies against Hampshire and Kent and a university match against Cardiff MCCU, Sussex’s competitive season gets underway with the visit of Leicestershire to The 1st Central County Ground in a Championship match that spans the first weekend of April.

A trip to Durham in the same competition follows the week after, before Sussex Sharks begin their Royal London One-Day Cup campaign with the visit of Surrey to Hove on Friday, April 19.

Somerset and Glamorgan are the other visitors to The 1st Central County Ground in the group stages of the 50-over competition, while Gloucestershire will be the opposition for the Sharks’ annual trip to The Saffrons in Eastbourne.

Those fixtures as well as away trips to Canterbury, Lord’s, Chelmsford and the Ageas Bowl will dictate whether the team progress to the quarter-finals on Friday, May 10. The semi-finals follow two days later, before the final Lord’s one-day final ahead of a move to Trent Bridge from 2020 on Saturday, May 25.

That final is sandwiched between Sussex’s Championship matches away at Northamptonshire and at home to Glamorgan.

The second of those fixtures begins an uninterrupted run of seven four-day matches at the height of summer, including trips to Lord’s, New Road and Old Trafford, matches against Durham and Northamptonshire at The 1st Central County Ground and the Arundel Festival.

The team’s next red-ball appointment is the visit of Middlesex to Hove that punctuates the Vitality Blast in the middle of August. Next year’s Blast fixtures will be released today (Tuesday) at 5pm.

Sussex have three Championship matches in September, one fewer than in 2018. Their run in sees them head to Bristol and Derby, before the season concludes against Worcestershire at The 1st Central County Ground.

Experience every ball of every Sussex home Specsavers County Championship & Royal London One-Day Cup group match in 2019 – plus a host of other benefits - by becoming a Sussex Member. Membership goes on sale during the week commencing Monday, December 3.

Hospitality packages for all of Sussex’s Specsavers County Championship and Royal London One-Day Cup matches will go on sale on Monday, December 3. To express your interest, please email corporatesales@sussexcricket.co.uk.

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